14

East Caucasian Pile Rug
Late 19th Century

The large central medallion of this rug is very similar to one found in flatwoven Shahsavan bagfaces; see for example Eiland and Eiland's Fig. 67.^l Natural dyes produce the reds and the navy blue of the field, as well as the black, but the other colors are from "aniline" dyes as evidenced from the considerable fading seen on the face of the rug (In this case, the fading is not a complete loss, as it both mutes the lurid orange and nearly eradicates the bilious green!). The curious cruciform figure in the upper left comer of the main border could be the weaver's mark; it is unlikely to have had any religious significance.

1 Murray Eiland Jr. & Murray Eiland III, Oriental Carpets, A Complete Guide, 4th Edition, Boston, 1998.